Bull Proof by Odell Brewing

It's been a year since there's been an Ill-Gotten Booty beer review. For various reasons I undertook a 90-day alcohol fast starting last August. Ninety days stretched to about 150 before I started up again, but even so, I cut my consumption way back. But the brew that I'm sampling tonight enticed me back to review-land.

First off, I'm a sucker for oak barrel, bourbon-infused quads and stouts. Obviously, at 13% ABV, it's difficult to have more than one, but I'm sitting at home with no obligations in the morning, so...

The stout aspect of this beer reminds me of some of the better milk stouts, sometimes called sweet stouts, as there is a pleasant sweetness permeating every sip. And don't even think about consuming this beauty at anything other than a sipping pace. This gives it a certain smoothness. Some of this sweet smoothness (or smooth sweetness) comes from the oak barrels on which the beer was aged. Old Elk Bourbon Distillery, just down the road from Odell's provided the bourbon barrels, and the oak transmits notes of vanilla and molasses to the whole.

Hints of dark chocolate, black cherry and brown sugar surface as the stout achieves room temperature. The 13% ABV imparts a comfortable alcohol heat (remember what I said: sip!) and the bourbon flavoring makes this a perfect representation of the style.

Look forward to more Ill-Gotten Booty Beer Reviews...he's back!

Prairie Artisan Ales - Standard Hoppy Farmhouse Ale

A refresher on the style: a Farmhouse Ale is a variety that is similar to saisons and Belgian ales. The taste has been described as "funky", "earthy", "spicy" and similar. To me, it's difficult to compare it to anything else, and I tend to use the term "typical Belgian yeast taste" to describe it to fellow beer geeks.

Standard, by Prairie Artisan Ales is billed as a hoppy farmhouse ale. It pours a pale, pale, gold, with a tremendous four-finger, fluffy pure white head. It definitely has the belgian-y yeast character, but there are hints or lemon zest and coriander. There's also some ripe pineapple and apricot sneaking in as it warms up. The hoppiness is obvious but not overwhelming. A nice addition to your summer session selections.

Boulevard Grand Cru - Barrel-Aged Ale

It's been quite a while since Ill-Gotten Booty has graced this blog with a new beer review. It's not that he hasn't been trying new and exciting beers, it's just that it's not always convenient to write a review while sitting in a restaurant or a bar, where I have tried new craft beers in the last six months. I'm going to lift the embargo by reviewing Boulevard's Grand Cru Barrel-Aged Ale.

Grand Cru is a a 60-40% blending of

1. Whiskey barrel double mashed imperial stout, aged for 18 months, this component has an ABV of 15.6% and 50 IBU's. 
2. Bourbon Barrel Quad - loosely based on Sixth Glass, part of the Smokestack Series - an abbey style quadrupel with cherries added to make up for the 'angel's share' - the portion lost by absorption by the barrel. This component is 11.2% ABV and 26 IBU's. 

The combined blend is 13.7% ABV and 27 IBU's.

Grand Cru is a deep mahogany,  with a thick, rich tan head. The aroma of vanilla, whiskey and oak immediately tickles the nose, along with some vanilla as it heats up. There's a subtle alcohol-whiskey heat, and a smooth velvety chocolate-coffee aftertaste.

Quite the sippin' brew.

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout

As usual, when visiting the Long Island Joyces, (and Joyce adjacent folks) I stop in at Port Jefferson Beverage for some local beer. The guys at Port Jefferson Beverage are always very friendly and knowledgeable and willing to ply me with samples! My Dad was the first one to reveal the location of this jewel, and as the picture indicates, I convinced him to try some black lager.

Brooklyn Brewery has been around for a few years and brews a variety of ales and lagers. Black Chocolate Stout is an Imperial Russian Stout, a style that had its origins in the 18th century when English brewers sent some stout to Catherine the Great of Russia, jacking up the hops and alcohol content so that it would survive the long trip. But don't let the "chocolate" in the title confuse you: there's no actual chocolate. The masterful blending of American malts, including some malted wheat, give us some subtle chocolate notes.

Black Chocolate Stout pours a deep, dark, impenetrable black with a frothy tan head. The mouthfeel is thick and creamy. I couldn't find the IBUs, but it has a nice hoppy bite. The 10% ABV provides a comfortable heat. In addition to the dark chocolate, there are hints of dark fruits, like figs, raisins, black cherries and plums, finishing of with some brown sugar and molasses.

This is an incredible brew, great for the cold winter months!

Samuel Adams Oatmeal Stout

Oatmeal stout is one of those modern inventions that give some extra life to the venerable stout style. Oatmeal gives the stout an extra creaminess and body - more so than the ordinary stouts. It pours an almost-black, with a frothy brown head. The IBUs are 25, but it feels hoppier, with a nice bitterness punch. Suggestions of caramel, vanilla, coffee and molasses. The molasses adds a welcome sweetness to an otherwise sturdy brew. This is a well-deserved addition to the Winter Classics variety pack.

Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock

Bock, bock
Who's there?
(Sorry, that's all I've got for that setup!)

But, hey! We have another self-proclaimed bock in the Sam Adams 12 pack! I do want to point out that the label to the left is an old label, and describes the beer as ale, which is inaccurate, since bocks are a subcategory of lager. I think there was a least one major market that had beer labeling ordinances that were inaccurate as to the actual classification of certain beers.

This chocolate bock pours a deep mahogany brown with a thin tan head. Milk chocolate aroma dominates, with vanilla notes. Very creamy.  Despite the heavy presence of the chocolate, the underlying "beeriness" is still evident: it's a solid bock outside the chocolate goodness. Food pairings would lean toward desserts - cheesecake, chocolate mousse, coffee ice cream, tiramisu.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager

Winter Lager is another perennial favorite in the Winter Classics variety pack. I've never noticed before that they're calling it a "wheat bock". Bocks of course are a subcategory of lager, which don't seem to be restricted to  Spring any longer. The spices are the same as in Old Fezziwig: cinnamon, ginger and orange peel, however they seem to come on a bit stronger here. I'm not detecting anything that would tip one off to the wheat, but the maltiness does suggest a bock rather than a plain lager. In addition to the named spices, there is also a hint of licorice and caramel. Like many Sam Adams offerings,  the Winter Lager is not trying to be anything fancy, just a simple beer-lover's winter warmer. Try it with roast turkey, or a hearty beef stew, perhaps even some gingerbread or pumpkin pie.